March 20, 2006 - University of California, Irvine Chancellor Michael V. Drake presented five Orange County CEOs with "Advocate of the Year" awards during the March 17 meeting of the UCI Chief Executive Roundtable. The awards were established in 2004 by the Alumni Associations of the University of California and are distributed annually to acknowledge individuals who have helped shape the future of higher education in California.

For the last two years, top California corporate leaders and administrators from UCI and UCLA have met with legislators in Sacramento to underscore UC's contributions to the intellectual, social and economic vitality of California. Broadcom Co-Founder, Chairman and Chief Technical Officer Henry Samueli received special recognition for his leadership of the 2004 and 2005 teams that traveled to the state's capital.

Additional "Advocate of the Year" recipients included: Steven Joe, president and CEO of D-Link North America; Michael A. Mussallem, chairman and CEO of Edwards Lifesciences; David E.I. Pyott, chairman and CEO of Allergan; and Ted Smith, founder, retired chairman and CEO of FileNet Corp.

"As influential members of California's business community, representing the diversity of California's industry, these corporate leaders exemplify the success made possible by a strong state investment in higher education," said Drake. "By carrying the message to the state Legislature that a strong University of California is essential to maintaining California's economic success, they have helped to highlight the value of the University of California's contributions to the state's vitality and quality of life."

About the University of California, Irvine: The University of California, Irvine is a top-ranked university dedicated to research, scholarship and community service. Founded in 1965, UCI is among the fastest-growing University of California campuses, with more than 24,000 undergraduate and graduate students and about 1,400 faculty members. The second-largest employer in dynamic Orange County, UCI contributes an annual economic impact of $3.3 billion. For more UCI news, visit www.today.uci.edu.

News Radio: UCI maintains on campus an ISDN for conducting interviews with its faculty and experts. The use of this line is available free-of-charge to radio news programs/stations who wish to interview UCI faculty and experts. Use of ISDN line limited by availability and approval by the university.